Deus Ex Machina Hotel

Deus Ex Machina is an independent design hotel on Argyll Road in Boscombe, a few streets back from the seafront at the eastern end of Bournemouth, and it is one of the more convincing dog welcomes on this stretch of coast. Dogs are not an exception the hotel makes reluctantly. Owners routinely say the welcome was the reason they booked in the first place and the reason they came back.

What stands out is the staff. Owners travelling with dogs describe a team that makes a fuss of the dog on the way past reception, keeps treats to hand, and treats a dog in the bar or restaurant as entirely normal. Returning dogs get their photo on the hotel's wall of fame, which tells you something about how seriously the place takes the idea. Repeat stays are common, and the format handles a full week's beach holiday with a dog as readily as a single night.

The building itself is the other draw. It is a small, heavily designed independent property rather than a chain box, with a restaurant and bar downstairs running live music into the evening. The music stops around ten, so the sociable part of the night does not run into the sleeping part, which is useful if your dog settles badly to noise. Rooms are generous, and air conditioning means you can keep the windows shut against street noise without cooking.

On location, the dog-friendly end of Boscombe beach is about five minutes on foot, with the pier just beyond it and the promenade running west towards Bournemouth for a longer walk. The high street around the corner has cafes that will seat a dog, and the whole area has smartened up considerably in recent years.

The caveats are the ones that come with a central position. This is a built-up part of town rather than a quiet rural bolthole, and the streets outside can be lively late on. The property publishes no pet fee, weight limit or breed rule either, so if you are bringing more than one dog it is worth agreeing that in advance rather than turning up and hoping.